Improvement in machines for bending wood



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL U. KING, OF WINDSOR, VERMONT.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR BENDING WOOD.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 50,601, dated October 24, 1865.

' To all whom it may concern:

Vof the machine, on the top of which there is a board or platform, a, and there are also two other boards, b b', which are hinged to opposite sides of the frame and arranged relatively to the board a in manner as exhibited in such drawings.

There is arranged on the upper surface or" the board a a series ofjaw carriers or carriages, c c, d d, e e, d d, and c c, each of which supports a stationaryjaw, j', and a movablejaw, g', which are arranged as seen in Figs. l, 2, and Each movable jaw extends upward from a slide-bar, 7L, which slides through the iixed jaw, and at one end is connected to a spring, t', attached to the carrier. The other end ot' the said slide bar is jointed to a cammed lever', k, so arranged as to bear against the outer surface ot' the fixed jaw, and so made that when pulled downward it will cause the movable jaw to be moved toward the fixed jaw. The upper end of each of the said several cammed levers 7c k ofthe jawcarriers o c d d c c is jointed with one of two rocker-shafts,ma, by means of an elastic connection, o, composed of a spring, o', and two cords, o2 o3, extending from opposite extremities of the spring. ln the same manner each ot' the levers k ofthe other carriers d e c e d is united with the other rocker-shaft, the two rocker-shafts extending across the frame and being arranged in manner as shown in Figs. 2

-and 3. Furthermore, the two pairs ot' carriers d d are joined together, and they are connected with those next adjacent to them by linksp p pp. 1n the same manner each of the other carriers is united to that or those next to it, such links being arranged relatively to the jaws in the manner as exhibited in Fig. l. Furthermore, retracting-sprin gs qq and o' are applied to the conjoined series of carriers, the board il i i a, and the top of the frame, and arranged as shown in Fig. l. There projects from each of the rockenshafts an arm, s, and these two arms s s are connected with a lever, u, by means of two rods or links, t t, the said levers, arms, and rods being disposed in manner as represented in Fig. 2. A vertical rack, o, applied to the frame A, answers to hold the lever at any desirable position, there being a projection, u,

from the lever to co-operate with the rock in upholding the lever. The two boards b b are also connected to a lever, x, by two bars, y y, jointed both tothe lever and the boards, and arranged as shown in Figs. l and 2. One of these boards is also connected by cords z z z to the three middle carriers e c c, the connection of each with the carrier being by means of an adjustment consisting ot' a screw, a, and two nuts, 112112. The screw goes through aprojection, c2, from the carrier, and the nuts are screwed on the screw and placed on opposite sides of the projection. The two external pairs of carriers c c c c, are similarly connected to the other ot" the said boards b b. Furthermore, into the lower surface and at the middle of each pair ot conjoined levers d d, as crew, d', is screwed, such screw extending upward through a slot, e', made in a plate, j", fastened to the board a.

Fig. 4 denotes a top view of the board a with the platesff; and Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section ot' such board, and the screw d and the platej", in the slot of which such screw is situated.

It is intended for each of the screws to be directly underneath the conjunction of two opposite bends ofthe snath when itis in the machine. Itisalsointendedthattheseverallinks p shall be arranged aboutinthe line of theinner faces ot' the several movable jawsthat is, each link is to be so placed that while the snath may be in the act of being bent the two jawcarriers connected by such link shall be made to so move laterally, as well as longitudinally, as to cause their two pairs ofjaws to so move with respect to each other as to counteract any tendency of the libers ol' the snath to become stretched or elongated. The object is to bend the snath, and at the same time to put upon any portion of it that may be between any two next-adjacent jaws such a contractile force as may eff'ectually prevent elongation and breakage of the fibers of the wood.

In bending wood it has been customary to contract the piece by pressure made at its two ends only. This causes compression of the fibers to take place at that part of the stick where it has the least area of cross-section, the

compression or contraction not being uniform throughout the stick, but with my machine the compression in rendered for all practical purposes alike throughout its entire length, and

thus the strength of the stick will not be -impaired in any one part by the process of bending it.

In operating with the machine the lever should rst be raised upward so as to elevate the two boards b b and slacken the cords extending therefrom. Next, the snath stick or blank, after having been properly steamed, should be laid between the jaws of the several pairs of the carriers. The lever should next beraised so as to cause thejaws to rmly grasp the stick, after which the lever m should be depressed until the boards b b may have been forced down into horizontal positions or thereabout. This will cause the jaw-carriers to be so moved as to effect the bending of the snath or stick in the manner required. v

Were the connection o o, extending from the several cammed levers k to the rocker-shafts, non-elastic, it might frequently happen that, by reason no two snath-blanks are exactly alike or of the same size, some of the jaws would firmly grasp a blank, while others would not do so, during the act of revolving the rocker-shafts 5 but by havin gthe connection 0 o elastic, as described, we insure the thorough grasping of the snath by each pair of jaws.

By means ot' each of the adjusting-screws a and its two nuts b2 b2 the adjustment of their jaw-carriers may be effected in a manner to cause more or less variation of the curves to be given to the snath.

The above-explained machine operates to great advantage in bending a snath. It may also be employed for bending wood for the manufacture of various other objects.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. The machine substantially as described, and for the purpose specified, it consisting of the several series ofjaw-carriers c, d, c, connected together and with their supporting-frame by means as described, the stationary and movable jaws j' g of such carriers, the mechanism for simultaneously operating the movable jaws relatively to the tixed jaws in manner as described, and, finally, the mechanism for simultaneously actuating thejaw-carriers in manner as explained, the whole being arranged so as to operate on a snath and bend it with a uniform longitudinal compression or contraction, and in other respects as hereinbefore specitied.

2. rBhe combination of the adjusting-screws a and the nuts b2 b2 with the jaw-carriers to which they are applied, and with the mechanism for actuating the jaw-carriers so as to e'ect the bending ot a snath in manner as described, the purpose ot' such screws and nuts7 or the object to be effected by them, being hereinbefore explained.

S. U. KING.

Witnesses:

It. H. EDDY, F. I. HALE, Jr. 

